Young pianists should progress at their own pace

Paul Pollei can be proud of himself right now. The founder and artistic director of the Gina Bachauer Foundation recently oversaw the latest installment of the now annual piano competition that he began in 1976. And by any standard, it was an unqualified success.

This year's competition featured the youngest group of pianists — those between 11 and 13. It always amazes me, whenever I hear youngsters playing on the competition level, how technically developed and mature most of them are. And this year was no exception. There were some remarkable performances given by many of the 37 participants, and each of the six who ended up going into the final round certainly deserved to take home first prize.

By all accounts, the level of playing at this year's competition surpassed that of four years ago, the last time this age group competed at the Bachauer. It seems that performers are becoming more technically accomplished at an ever earlier age.

And that raises some serious questions.

While I was waiting for the names of the finalists at the end of the second round, I talked with pianist Michael Sushel, who was going to accompany them for the final round. Sushel lives in California, where he teaches piano. He is also an active performer who has recorded a number of CDs.

He said that his experience as a teacher has made him concerned that we're pushing our kids too far too fast. He made the comment that, in California, if you don't play the Rachmaninoff Second Concerto by the time you're 9, you're a nobody.

While he was perhaps exaggerating a bit, Sushel did bring up a valid point. Maybe we are expecting too much from our children. It's unreasonable to instill in them the notion that they must play something for which they're not yet prepared, either physically or mentally. That can result in catastrophic problems later on.

Many of the youngsters that Sushel has heard can't even reach an octave yet, which forces them to stretch their hands. That can ultimately damage their hands or ruin their technique as adult performers.

Of course, we've been dazzled by child prodigies. We've been mesmerized by such teenagers as Evgeny Kissin and Lang Lang playing Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, and by an even younger Sarah Chang playing Paganini. But these kids are the exception rather than the rule. It's wrong for us as parents or as concertgoers to expect that kind of playing from every preteen pianist.

If a young performer has the talent, then the technique and musicality will follow. It just needs to develop at each child's own pace.